ASCE: Working for You ai??i?? March 2014

Interested in a ai???great opportunity to combine training with fun?ai??? Thatai??i??s how attendees described last yearai??i??s ASCE Week. The weeklong continuing education program was so popular that we decided to hold again this year. ASCE Week 2014 ai??i?? A Continuing Education Eventwill take place September 22-26 at the beautiful Venetian Palazzo Resort, in Las Vegas, Nevada. ASCE Week offers 9 of the Societyai??i??s most popular face-to-face seminars in one location. You will have the opportunity to earn up to 32 PDHs (3.2 CEUs) to meet your P.E. license renewal requirements. And, ASCE Week 2014 also includes a special tour of the Hoover Dam, Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, and Lake Mead. Register by August 29 and not only will you enjoy discounted seminar registration fees but you can also save up to $800 when you register for 2 seminars.

There is still time to make plans to join distinguished leaders of the civil engineering profession for our Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) Gala, March 20 at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel, in Arlington, Virginia. This annual black-tie event is a great opportunity to join other engineers in recognizing individual lifetime achievements and winning projects. At this yearai??i??s Gala which includes a reception and dinner, we will be presenting our 2014 leadership awards, the Charles Pankow Award, and the Michel Award. Plus, the 5 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) finalists will be honored and the winner revealed. Register now.

Do you want to put your real-world, professional engineering skills to the test by learning how to create and develop a sustainable engineering project in a developing community? ASCE, Engineers Without Bordersai??i??USA (EWB-USA), and the University of Colorado Boulder are offering an exciting 6-day credit course in conjunction with the ASCE/EWB-USA Global Engineering Conference 2014, in Panama. Entitled Design Global, Engineer Local, the course will focus on community-driven engineering project implementation in developing communities worldwide. Design Global, Engineer Local will take place October 5-11, 2014. Course topics will include community and partner selection, cultural awareness, sustainability, assessment, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and much more. Led by Bernard Amadei, Ph.D., Dist.M.ASCE, civil engineering professor at the University of Colorado Boulder and founder of EWB-USA, the course will be offered for 3 college credit hours or 4.5 continuing education units (CEUs). Only 300 spots are available, so register now.

Want to help communities closer to home? The new Community Engineering Corps, a partnership between ASCE, AWWA, and EWB-USA, allows members who want to contribute their engineering services to communities in need, but arenai??i??t able to travel outside the U.S., to help underserved communities right here in the U.S. Tapping EWB-USAai??i??s experience managing community development projects, the program will match local projects with teams led by an ASCE Section or AWWA or EWB-USA professional chapter. To learn more, register for one of the upcoming informational webinars.

Speaking of Panama, join me at our Global Engineering Conference 2014 and find out why ASCE selected this international destination to bring you our Global Engineering Conference 2014. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Panama Canal and you are invited to join me at our Global Engineering Conference 2014 in Panama City, Panama, October 7-11. We will be offering exciting technical tours of the Panama Canal Expansion, which is set to open in 2015. Keynote speaker Jorge Quijano, CEO of the Panama Canal Authority, will join us to talk about the expansion. Program topics include giga projects focusing on construction, financial, political, and engineering aspects. This is one conference that you wonai??i??t want to miss.

Traveling to Panama for our Global Engineering Conference 2014 is surprisingly easy! Flights to Panama are comparable to cross-country flights in the U.S. in terms of price and time, so thereai??i??s no reason not to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime program. You will need a valid passport, so apply or renew today if needed. Specific information on passport requirements can be found at the U.S. Department of State website. See you in Panama!

For the past 20 years, your charitable contributions to the ASCE Foundation have been an invaluable resource by providing the Society with more than $20 million of support. Those dollars have helped fund vital ASCE programs, such as our ExCEEd workshops, the National Concrete Canoe Competition, the National Steel Bridge Competition, precollege outreach, the 2013 Report Card, the ISI Envision sustainability rating tool, Section 100th anniversary celebrations, and much more. The Foundation is grateful for your generosity, but did you know the Foundation can be a resource for you, too? Our Foundation maintains a website full of estate planning resources, completely free. Whether you are new to estate planning, or are considering a planned gift that benefits both your family and the causes you love, let the Foundationai??i??s online resources help you fit the pieces together. And be sure to request their newest resource, a downloadable Personal Estate Planning Kit.

The response to our 2014 Bridges Photo Contest has been incredible. Bridge enthusiasts from around the world have submitted inspiring photos and shared their stories. But there is still time to submit your photos before the contest closes on March 31. Our panel of judges will recognize 2 winners in each of 7 categories, including a new category for engineering firms. Prizes will range from $200 to $500, and like last year, all submissions will be eligible for inclusion in our 2015 Bridges Calendar. Submit your photos on our Facebook page today.

Whoever said nothing is free? Get the most out of your ASCE membership by renting a midsize or larger vehicle from Avis in the U.S. or Canada and receive a free day for a future rental. You must be enrolled in Avis Preferred to register for the program, which is free on ASCEai??i??s Avis site. Make sure you use code, AWD A654800 to enjoy this great ASCE members-only discount.